Heat dissipating sunshade

ABSTRACT

A heat dissipating sunshade comprising a plurality of rib pairs, the ribs in each pair being terraced and having canopy sections covering all or a portion of the upper and lower edges of each rib pair, the sections thus being spaced apart to upwardly direct air between the canopy sections. One sunshade may be in the form of a sector of a circle and a plurality of such sectors may be joined to form a sun umbrella. The upper end of the sunshade and the apex of the sun umbrella is open to vent heated air.

Elite Sttes atent 11 1 Kowalski 1451 May 27, 1975 1 HEAT DISSIPATING SUNSHADE [76] Inventor: Stanley S. Kowalski, 59 Pitt St.,

Bridgeport, Conn. 06606 22 Filed: June 3,1974

21 Appl. No.: 475,743

52 us. (:1 135/35 v; 52/78; 135/20 R 51 1111. C1 A45b 25/26 58 Field of Search 135/1 1), 2, 20 R, 31, 35 v,

135/14 v, 5 A, 5 AT; 52/63, 74, 78, 82

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 312,446 2/1885 Drake 135/35 V 1,590,867 6/1926 Vincent 135/20 R 2,335,184 11/1943 Houseman 135/20 R 2,714,234 8/1955 Dum 52/78 3,456,661 7/1969 Farley 135/35 V FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 692,497 8/1930 France 135/35 V 1,284,022 1/1962 France 135/35 V Primary Examiner-Richard J. Scanlan, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Conrad L. Berman Attorney, Agent, or FirmDeLio and Montgomery [57] ABSTRACT A heat dissipating sunshade comprising a plurality of rib pairs, the ribs in each pair being terraced and having canopy sections covering all or a portion of the upper and lower edges of each rib pair, the sections thus being spaced apart to upwardly direct air between the canopy sections. One sunshade may be in the form of a sector of a circle and a plurality of such sectors may be joined to form a sun umbrella. The upper end of the sunshade and the apex of the sun umbrella is open to vent heated air.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures HEAT DISSIPATING SUNSHADE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to sunshadcs such as sun umbrellas, parasols, window awnings and the like, which are also effective to dissipate heated air collected under the sunshade.

Conventional sunshades such as sun umbrellas, parasols, and awnings protect against the suns rays and do not dissipate the heated air collected thereunder. Efforts have been made to dissipate such collected heat by modifying the canopies of sunshades to provide louvers and other venting means so that the heated air can escape. See for example U. S. Pat. Nos. 2,485,118, 2,577,3 l7, and 2,546,099. The ventilation provided by such umbrellas utilize radially oriented louvers or other vents but their efficiency as heat dissipators is offset by their complex construction, especially the need to use rigid canopy materials such as metal to prevent flapping in the wind. In cases where non-rigid canopy materials are utilized, the materials are placed under tension in an effort to control the effects of wind thereon. The present invention overcomes these and other defects of known ventilating sunshades and thus provides substantial and surprising improvements in the art.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a heat dissipating sunshade such as a sun umbrella, parasol, window awning and the like, wherein the ventilating efficiency is greatly improved.

Another object is to provide a heat dissipating sunshade which may utilize flexible canopy material but without having to stretch or otherwise place such material under tension.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a heat dissipating sunshade which does not catch the wind but permits the wind to blow through it, thereby avoiding flapping or damage to the sunshade if constructed of flexible canopy material.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification which follows. a

In summary outline, the sunshade of the invention utilizes terraced canopy sections wherein the canopy sections are sufficiently spaced apart to promote channeling or funneling of air from a lower edge of the canopy upwardly and out of the sunshade adjacent the upper edge thereof.

The terraced construction contributing to the channeling or funneling of the air is accomplished by stacking in stair-like fashion a plurality of pairs of slat-like or dowel-like ribs, and by mounting canopy sections above and below each layer of ribs. Since the ribs each have a vertical dimension greater than their widths, the canopy Sections are spaced apart one above the other to define spaces therebetween. Cooling air enters the spaces between the canopy sections from the lower downward edge of the sunshade, mixes with heated air collected under the sunshade and quickly dissipates upwardly and out through a vented top.

It has been observed that the cooling air is positivel channeled or directed through such spaces and is thereby more quickly dissipated than it would be in the absence of such spaces. A resultant release of air pressure is also believed to be the reason for the elimination or minimization of the sunshade to catch the wind and to flap, particularly if the canopy material is flexible. Furthermore, it is believed that the absence of undue air pressure on the inside wall of the canopy, by reason of the channeling of air upwardly, is what eliminates the necessity of tightly stretching the canopy material over the ribs of the sunshade or the need to use rigid canopy material such as metal. It has therefore been found that ordinary flexible canopy material may be cf fectively utilized, such as fabric, resin impregnated fabric, flexible plastic or the like.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a sunshadeof the invention in the form of a sun umbrella;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section along the line 22 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2, showing space relationships between canopy sections of the sunshade;

FIG. 4 is a section along the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section illustrating along with FIG. 4 a method of connecting portions of the sunshade; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of sunshade of the invention.

With respect to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown a sunshade of the invention in the form of a sun umbrella 10 of hexagonal shape having a plurality of canopy sectors 11 and 12. Umbrella 10, of course, may have more or less than six sectors. Each canopy sector is equivalent to a unit sunshade. It will become evident from the description following, that the essential element of construction is such that sunshade element 11 and canopy sectors 12 merely repeat or fill in between canopy sectors 11.

The umbrella 10 includes conventional supporting structure such as a pole 13 having a cross member 14 near the upper end thereof to support the umbrella canopy. The support member 14 is star-shaped or comprises a plurality of intersecting members for attachment to the canopy sectors of the umbrella, leaving sufficient space between the arms of the star or cross members for ventilating purposes in a manner to be explained. If desired, the sun umbrella 10 may also double as a rain umbrella by providing a capping member 15 on the upper extremity of the pole 13. The capping element 15 is utilized should be spaced sufficiently above the support member 14 so that there will be an opening peripherally between the underside of the member 15 and the canopy sectors of the umbrella. A conventional sliding collar 16 and a spring biased stop member 17 may be provided on pole 13. Arms 18are pivotally mounted between collar 16 and canopy ribs which support the canopy sectors 11 and 12 of the umbrella and thus permit the canopy to be raised or lowered in a conventional manner.

The ribs supporting the canopy of the umbrella are each formed ofat least two pairs. 19 and 20, but preferably also include a third rib pair 21. The ribs 19, 20 and 21 may be slat-like in shape with the widths of the slats defining the upper and lower edges thereof, or have any shape effective to space upper and lower canopy sections. Dowels, therefore, would be equally effective and could be mounted between conventional metal ribs to operate as spacers. The larger dimensions of the ribs, that is, the side walls thereof, are thus generally vertically arranged. As evident in FIG. 2, each canopy sector 11 comprises a first pair of ribs 19 and a second pair of ribs 20 wherein the first pair of ribs 19 is covered on its upper edge with a canopy section 22 and on its lower edges with a canopy section 23. The second pair of ribs 20 is mounted above the first pair of ribs 19, as more clearly shown in FIGS. 3-5, in a terraced arrangement much like the stringers of a staircase. A second canopy section 24 covers the second pair of ribs 20.

The preferred embodiment illustrated further includes a third pair of ribs 21 covered with a canopy section 25. The third pair of ribs 21 is mounted directly above ribs 19 and 20 as best shown in FIGS. 3-5. The canopy sections thus bear an analogy to the treads of a staircase.

It will be noted that the lower and upper ends of each pair of ribs between the canopy sections are open and therefore the canopy sectors have no risers. This condition taken with the spaced-apart relationship between canopy sections 22 and 23, between canopy sections 22 and 24 and between canopy sections 24 and 25 defines channels between the canopy sections for the passage of air therebetween (see arrows in FIG. 2), especially cooling air which enters between the pair of ribs 19 at the lowermost point which then is directed angularly upwardly and out of the umbrella in the venting area around the support member 14.

As a result of this spaced relationship of the canopy sections and the ribs, heated air not only will be vented from the top of the umbrella in the normal manner but also outside cooling air will be positively channeled or funneled from the periphery of the umbrella into the interior of the umbrella to mix with and to assist in removal of heated air (perhaps by a Venturi effect at points just under the periphery of capping member which otherwise would be trapped in the umbrella or only vented slowly. The effect is a surprising enhancement of cooling under the umbrella but without undue draftiness. Furthermore, it has been found that flexible canopy material can be utilized without having to provide for stretching or tautness of the canopy material in the conventional manner. Normally a flexible material utilized as a canopy section, if it were not stretched or made taut upon opening of the umbrella, would tend to flap unduly in the wind. Surprisingly, it has been found that this tendency is minimized or eliminated by the arrangement of the invention so that flexing of ribs to provide such stretching or tautness is not required.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a mode of attachment of the canopy sections to the ribs. As shown in these figures, canopy sections 24 and 25 conveniently may be fastened by staples 26 to ribs and 21. The ribs 20 and 21 (and also rib 19 although not shown) may be rigidly positioned or mounted one over the other by a pair of pins 27 which, as shown in the pre-construction view of FIG. 5, are first connected as by gluing or otherwise to the sides of the upper rib 21. The rib 21 is then lowered lower rib 20, as shown in FIG. 4. Various other means for connecting the canopy sections to the ribs, and mounting the ribs one over the other, such as planar and angle brackets, rivets and the like, will be evident and are within the skill of the art.

As indicated, the unit of sunshade construction is the combination of a pair of ribs 19 and 20 covered by canopy sections 22, 23 and 24. The construction is most effective, however, in the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, that is, the inclusion of a third pair of ribs 21 covered by a canopy section 25. The space between canopy sections 24 and 25 thus also channels and directs cooling air upwardly and exerts a cooling effect upon heated air rising from the interior of the umbrella.

The overall dimensions of the canopy sections 22, 23, 24 and 25, and thus the dimensions of the air channeling spaces between canopy sections, may be considerably varied, depending on the overall dimensions of the umbrella, parasol, window awning or other form of sunshade of the invention. Likewise, the relative heights of the steps defined by the terraced arrangement of ribs 19, 20 and 21 may vary somewhat and depend more on economy of construction than operableness. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the canopy section 22 extends over the entire length of the rib 19 and the same is true of canopy sections 24 and 25 with respect to ribs 20 and 21. Also as illustrated, the amount of upper face of canopy sections 22, 24 and 25 which is exposed is about half the total length of the canopy sections so that the treads defined by the canopy sections and the supporting ribs are about equal in length.

FIG. 6 shows the use of a unit sunshade of the invention in the form of a window canopy or awning 28. It will be evident that the construction is essentially the same as described above with reference to FIGS. 1-3, although the sunshade is rectangular in overall shape as compared with the sector of a circle shape of the canopy sectors of FIGS. 1-3. Thus, the upper canopy sections 29, 30 and 31 of the window awning 28 shown in FIG. 6 generally correspond to the upper canopy sections 22, 24 and 25 of FIGS. 1 and 2. A lower canopy section 32 corresponds to canopy section 23 of FIGS. 1-3. As in the sun umbrella of FIGS. l-3, there must be a venting space 33 adjacent the upper edges of the sections 30 and 31 for venting of heated air which collects under the awning 28. Although the dimensions of the sunshade are different, the overall operation and effect is essentially the same as described above with reference to FIGS. 1-3.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in what are considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it will be recognized that many variations are possible and come within the scope thereof, the appended claims therefore being entitled to a full range of equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. A heat dissipating sunshade, comprising: first and second pairs of ribs,

each rib having a substantial vertical dimension and substantially parallel upper and lower edges;

said second pair of ribs being mounted above said first pair of ribs in terraced arrangement;

a portion of the lower edge of each second pair of ribs being fixed to a portion of the upper edge of each first pair of ribs;

a first canopy section covering said first pair of ribs on the upper edges thereof and extending under a portion of the second pair of ribs",

a second canopy section covering a portion of said first pair of ribs on the lower edges thereof; and 5 a third canopy section covering said second pairs of ribs on the upper edges thereof;

whereby the faces of said first and second canopy sections are spaced apart by said first pair of ribs and the faces of said first and third canopy sections are spaced apart by said second pair of ribs to define channels therebetween for directing air upwardly when said sunshade is angularly positioned with said first pair of ribs lowermost.

2. A heat dissipating sunshade as in claim 1, further including:

a third pair of spaced apart ribs; each third rib having a substantial vertical dimension and substantially parallel upper and lower edges;

said third pair of ribs being mounted above said second pair of ribs in terraced arrangement such that a portion of the lower edges of said third pair of ribs is fixed to a portion of the upper edges of said second pair of ribs; and

a fourth canopy section covering said third pair of ribs on the upper edges thereof;

whereby the faces of said third and fourth canopy sections are spaced apart by said third pair of ribs to define channels therebetween.

3. A sunshade as in claim 2, wherein said ribs are slatlike members and said portions of said first and second rib edges comprise about one-half the lengths of said slat-like members.

4. A sunshade as in claim 2, wherein said first canopy section covers substantially the entire length of said first pair of ribs and said third canopy section covers substantially the entire length of said second pair of ribs.

5. A heat dissipating sun umbrella comprising a plurality of sunshades as defined in claim 2, said sunshades being arranged as sectors of a circle and including other canopy sections corresponding to and connecting said first, second, third and fourth canopy sections, the apexes of said sectors defining a central vent opening, and means adapted to support said sectors above a surface.

6. A sun umbrella as in claim 5, wherein said supporting means includes a vertical support pole connected to said apexes, a vertically movable support disk slidably received on said pole, and arms radially connecting said sectors to said disk.

7. A sun umbrella as in claim 5, including a capping member mounted on said supporting means above said vent opening.

8. A sun umbrella as in claim 5, wherein said canopy sections are circularly continuous. 

1. A heat dissipating sunshade, comprising: first and second pairs of ribs, each rib having a substantial vertical dimension and substantially parallel upper and lower edges; said second pair of ribs being mounted above said first pair of ribs in terraced arrangement; a portion of the lower edge of each second pair of ribs being fixed to a portion of the upper edge of each first pair of ribs; a first canopy section covering said first pair of ribs on the upper edges thereof and extending under a portion of the second pair of ribs; a second canopy section covering a portion of said first pair of ribs on the lower edges thereof; and a third canopy section covering said second pairs of ribs on the upper edges thereof; whereby the faces of said first and second canopy sections are spaced apart by said first pair of ribs and the faces of said first and third canopy sections are spaced apart by said second pair of ribs to define channels therebetween for directing air upwardly when said sunshade is angularly positioned with said first pair of ribs lowermost.
 2. A heat dissipating sunshade as in claim 1, further including: a third pair of spaced apart ribs; each third rib having a substantial vertical dimension and substantially parallel upper and lower edges; said third pair of ribs being mounted above said second pair of ribs in terraced arrangement such that a portion of the lower edges of said third pair of ribs is fixed to a portion of the upper edges of said second pair of ribs; and a fourth canopy section covering said third pair of ribs on the upper edges thereof; whereby the faces of said third and fourth canopy sections are spaced apart bY said third pair of ribs to define channels therebetween.
 3. A sunshade as in claim 2, wherein said ribs are slat-like members and said portions of said first and second rib edges comprise about one-half the lengths of said slat-like members.
 4. A sunshade as in claim 2, wherein said first canopy section covers substantially the entire length of said first pair of ribs and said third canopy section covers substantially the entire length of said second pair of ribs.
 5. A heat dissipating sun umbrella comprising a plurality of sunshades as defined in claim 2, said sunshades being arranged as sectors of a circle and including other canopy sections corresponding to and connecting said first, second, third and fourth canopy sections, the apexes of said sectors defining a central vent opening, and means adapted to support said sectors above a surface.
 6. A sun umbrella as in claim 5, wherein said supporting means includes a vertical support pole connected to said apexes, a vertically movable support disk slidably received on said pole, and arms radially connecting said sectors to said disk.
 7. A sun umbrella as in claim 5, including a capping member mounted on said supporting means above said vent opening.
 8. A sun umbrella as in claim 5, wherein said canopy sections are circularly continuous. 